Some folks have no interest in taking iconic shots and that’s ok. Their thoughts are that they have all been done before, and why stand in the same place that hundreds of other photographers have stood in— just to photograph what they have already done to death.

Well, I’ve thought about this for quite some time and decided that I’d share my thoughts…

First of all, I can never exactly capture what they did and I don’t want to. I feel that no two photos are ever going to be identical. I also feel that when I arrive at an iconic location, I want to see it for myself. I want to breathe in the beauty that others have enjoyed. I want to be visually mesmerized by nature’s glory. I want to walk where the greats have walked. I want to take it all in. And then, I want to see it through my eyes. I want the chance to see something that maybe everyone else missed. Is it possible? Yes, that’s why I am still out there every chance I get.

I once heard this “if you want to be famous, put your camera where no one else has”, I’m not sure who originally said that or if I even got the quote correct, but you get the idea. How hard is that... I would say pretty hard, considering the masses out there and of course that everyone is a photographer nowadays.

So if you eliminate every place that someone else has shot in and you eliminate all the iconic spots then you should just quit, right? No, not if you are a passionate photographer. You’ll find a way to make those iconic shots your own; you’ll find a special place that others have passed by. You will find your shot, no matter where you are because your shot is inside of you.

*Above Image is my version of Skógafoss in Iceland. I chose to share this image as this waterfall has been done to death but I still adore this shot. I bracketed my exposures so that I would not toast the sky! In post-processing I decided to go with a B&W version.